Kakusei Heroism The Hero Without A Name
by Strata's Stargazer
Summary: Rescued one night after an undercover mission, Sakura finds herself helping the masked vigilante "Crow" look into a conspiracy that could threaten Konoha and the Fire Nation. Modern AU
1. The Girl

Naruto: Kakusei Heroism – The Hero Without A Name

**A/N: **Well, this was a project. This was to originally be a short story for my other story _As the Heavens Cried_ that just kept going and going and going… So, it is now a full story that I finally finished after many months. Thank Sakura-Con, as since I spent most of that weekend waiting for panels and autographs, I typed up the end of story on my iPhone.

Also, since I tend to go to my iTunes to pull song names, this is the second opening of the series Darker Than Black by An Café. I love this song and that series and it fit better than my rough draft name.

Anyways, please be kind to this first chapter and review to let me know what you think!

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_Kakusei Heroism – The Hero Without A Name_

_Chapter 1: The Girl_

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"Well, well, boys. What have we here?"

Glancing up from where she had bent over to tug on her uncomfortable shoes, Sakura slowly pushed her hair from her face as she straightened. The street was poorly lit and dead this time of night, but Sakura wasn't worried as she flashed the three men staring at her what she hoped appeared to be a coy smile. She was freezing in the skimpy black dress that showed too much skin and a useless wrap to keep away the early summer chill, but she ignored it as they started towards her.

"Well, aren't you an exotic piece of flesh," the middle one sneered as they surrounded her.

Oh, he was an ugly one, Sakura mentally groaned, with a broad nose that had been broken more than once, making it crooked, and a flat forehead leading into a receding hair line. His two companions weren't exactly lookers either, or the more fragrant she realized a little too late as she was surrounded by the scent of overly ripe males.

"What's your name, sweet stuff?"

"Whatever you want it to be, handsome," Sakura teased him, leaning forward so that her gown gapped just enough to draw their attention. Thank god for push-up bras.

"I like the sound of that, Tokuwa," one of the other guys chuckled and Sakura barely kept the glee from her face when she realized she had her target.

Tokuwa Kenichi was one of Konoha's most wanted yakuza members. He had originally moved to the city nearly fifteen years ago and since then had driven up the amount of illegal drugs, crime, and sex trafficking in the otherwise peaceful city. And now she had him just where she needed him.

"Can't say I disagree with you guys, so what do you say, sweet stuff? How would you like to spend the time with a group of real men?"

"Well, sure," Sakura said before fisting her hands on her hips. "But I'm a working girl, so we need to talk a little business beforehand."

"Oh, it seems we have a little misunderstanding. See, this is my turf," Tokuwa explained as they all started chuckling and surrounded her. Backing up until she bumped into the wall, Sakura swallowed nervously as she stared up at the three of them. "And everything here? I own. Which means, babe, I own you and that tempting little body of yours.

"And there is nothing I like better than a free fuck," he chuckled, motioning at the man to her left forward. When he grabbed her for arm, Sakura evaded before catching him behind the knee with her foot and sending him to the ground.

"You bitch!" he roared, lunging back to his feet and at Sakura. Feeling his hands wrap around her throat, Sakura attempted to break the hold as the other two fell back. "Boss, let me teach her a lesson she won't be soon to forget!"

"She's all yours. I don't like my woman that feisty," Tokuwa dismissed with a chuckle and Sakura watched as he turned and started to walk away.

"Keep it up honey," the thug chuckled as he kept Sakura pinned with one hand while the other drifted down to start tugging on her skirt. "I don't need you awake to enjoy myself."

"Fuck off," Sakura gasped, pulling back her hand and punching him straight on the nose.

Stronger than she looked the man went flying again as Sakura gasped, trying to recover her breath. Her head swimming, she ignored it as she went to chase after Tokuwa only to feel the man grab her leg and yank her to the ground. Landing before she could brace the skin on her elbows and knees were scraped from the force of the fall, but she ignored the pain as she twisted to defend herself, only to find herself held immobile by the weight of him as he pinned her against the ground.

"I'll kill you for that," the man growled as blood dripped from his broken nose, wrapping his hands around her neck again. Not recovered from before and with her arms pinned under his legs, Sakura could only struggle futilely.

_Dammit, where are Naruto and Sasuke_? Sakura thought as she started to lose consciousness. If they weren't here yet, Tokuwa would get away and she would be left at the mercy of his crony.

As her vision started to fade from the lack of oxygen, Sakura could only watch through a fog as the man above her way suddenly pulled away and she caught sight someone dressed in black standing above her before finally passing out.

sSs

Bolting awake a little while later, Sakura winced at the pain radiating from her joints and back. Confused at finding something soft under her and not the hard asphalt from before, Sakura glanced around as her eyes widened when she found herself back in her apartment. Feeling the pull of something on her knees, she glanced down to see both covered by bandages, as well as her elbows. She was still in the dress, but someone had draped her with her robe which she pulled on as she stood up.

"Naruto? Sasuke?" she called out to her team members, figuring it had been them who had taken her home, only to be met with silence. Glancing down when her home line started ringing, she took in the Caller ID before picking it up. "Naruto?"

"Sakura, what the hell?" Naruto yelled at her from the other end and Sakura frowned. "We got to the scene and you weren't there, but Tokuwa and his men were knocked out and tied up! We've been looking for you for over an hour! Where are you?"

"I'm at my apartment. Listen, Naruto, I got to go," Sakura told him softly and before the blond could yell at her more, she hung up while bending to reach for the gun she kept under her bed.

"You will not find your gun," a voice said from in front of her and Sakura spun to stare at the entrance to her room. A figure dressed in black with a porcelain mask was all she took in before she noticed the gun held lightly in his hand and she lunged towards the dresser where she had more weapons stored. "I took your other weapons as well."

"Who the hell are you?" she snapped, turning to face him again. He was larger than her, most men were, and Sakura wasn't sure in her current state if she could take him. "How did we get to my apartment?"

"I brought you here, after taking care of Tokuwa and his men," the figure said, tossing Sakura her gun. Catching it, Sakura checked it only to scowl when she realized he had taken the firing pin, making it nothing more than a paperweight. "I did not feel right leaving you lying on the sidewalk alone while unconscious."

"I had back up," she huffed, tossing the gun on the bed as she glared at him.

"Who were late enough that man would have killed you and Tokuwa would have gotten away. When did Konoha's police force get so weak?" he asked and without warning Sakura lunged at him.

He blocked her first punch, took a swift kick to his side, before grabbing her outstretched arm and spinning her out and away from him. Startled, she stumbled before finding herself caught again and pinned to her bed with the stranger holding her down. As she panted, trying to catch her breath, she felt the heat of him through the thin material separating them and felt the brush of his long ponytail on her cheek as he bent down over her. Still, his hold on her was light and non-threatening, which only pissed her off more.

"Now Officer Haruno, is that how you thank the person who saved your life?"

"It's Detective. And get off me," Sakura ordered him and after a short pause to show he was doing it by his choice and not her command, he finally let go and moved away, leaving her on the bed. Sitting up, Sakura glared before finally letting out a grudging, "Thank you."

"Going after Tokuwa was worthless," he said in response and Sakura stiffened, snapping her head around to look at him. "He's nothing more than a pawn for a much bigger threat; a sacrifice to throw the force off another man's trail."

"Who?"

For several minutes the masked guy remained silent and Sakura was figuring he was debating on telling her before finally pulling something out and tossing a small, flat object at her that she caught. It was a portable memory drive and she frowned at it before glancing up to realize she was alone in her apartment.

sSSs

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**Ending A/N: **Yeah…I struggle (read: suck) at writing action scenes. They're awesome in my head, but getting them into word format is something I'm still trying to get better at. And Tokuwa is a completely made up character for the series, couldn't figure out an in show character worth trying to us.

Anyways…what did you guys think? Sound intriguing? Mysterious? Wondering who the masked man is?

Review and I'll update!

**Disclaimer: **Naruto does not belong to me, nor do any of the products mentioned in this story.


	2. The Vigilante

Naruto: Kakusei Heroism – The Hero Without A Name

**A/N: **Guess if I want more reviews and views, I should post more chapters.

Thanks for my first five lovely reviewers. You made me smile and laugh. Please give me more!

In light of my recent obsession of DBZ Abridged -

**The following is a non-profit, fan-based story. Naruto and Naruto Shippuden are owned by Shounen Weekly Jump, Studio Pierrot, Aniplex, and Masashi Kishimoto (you sexist jerk). Please support the official release…by writing more non-canon fanfiction!**

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_Kakusei Heroism – The Hero Without A Name_

_Chapter 2: The Vigilante_

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"You have got to be shitting me!" Tsunade grumbled six months later, tossing the newspaper on her desk before looking up to pin the three in front of her with a glare. For their worth Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura's expressions didn't change in the face of her wrath that had sent officers twice their age running from the office just last week. "What the hell is this?"

"A newspap – ugh," Naruto grunted as the thrown newspaper hit him in the face. With a sigh, Sakura slapped Naruto on the back of the head before grabbing the paper from the floor to see what had set Tsunade off.

"Him again?" she asked curiously a few seconds later, staring at the picture of her masked savior and now well known vigilante. Since that night six months ago, he had caught and brought in several large criminals just days before the Konoha police could.

"Tell me why the hell I'm heading a police force when one masked vigilante is doing our job!" Tsunade barked, yanking open her desk drawer to pull out the bottle of sake she kept there. "How did we miss this one?"

"We were tied up waiting for a warrant," Sakura explained, returning the newspaper with a frown. The man brought in had been one they had been investigating for the last month and the fact someone – specifically _him_ – had beat them to the punch was frustrating.

"Stupid damn laws," Naruto grumbled. "Hey, Tsunade baa-san, can't you tell those two old judges to stop huffing and puffing whenever we ask for a warrant so we can do our job?"

"Don't tell me how to do my job, you little brat!" Tsunade yelled, pounding back her second shot before scowling at the three of them. With a sigh she sat back before casting a glance over at Sasuke. "Is Special Forces having any luck tracking this guy down?"

"No. They have lookouts everywhere, but he's able to avoid them every time," Sasuke explained, having the most insight on Special Forces which consisted of mainly his family members. If not for the incident a year ago, he would have been with them rather than remain with the Special Crime Unit with Naruto and Sakura and his relationship with the rest of the Uchiha clan wouldn't be fragile and strained.

"I don't like this bastard," Naruto said, crossing him arms as he glanced over at Sakura. "Right, Sakura-chan?"

"Yeah," Sakura murmured. By acting on his own he was causing more work for the police than helping in the end, even if he could go places they couldn't due to jurisdiction issues. Still, it was damn frustrating.

"They even gave him a name. The Crow. What kind of name is that?"

Sakura glanced down as the others snorted at the same time to Naruto's comment and she hid a smile before they saw it.

"I thought he looked more like a bat myself." Turning to the door, the four found Kakashi standing in the doorway.

"Look who finally made his way in this morning," Tsunade grumbled before waving a hand at Sakura and the others. "You three are dismissed. Get this mess wrapped up, send me a report, and next time don't let him beat us to the punch!"

sSs

"God, what a long day," Sakura sighed as she opened the door to her apartment. Closing the door with her foot, she kicked off her shoes before heading further inside. With a stretch she walked towards the kitchen only to stop suddenly before sighing. "Why are you here?"

Turning with fists on her hips, Sakura leveled a glare at the figure casually sitting on her couch. White mask as always in place, he had forgone his normal long jacket for the snug black shirt he wore underneath. Lowering the book he had been reading – though Sakura didn't know how he could read with the eye slits so narrow on the mask – he tilted his head to the side as he looked at her.

"You seem stressed."

"Of course I'm stressed! I got chewed out at work – again! – because you…you…ugh!" Sakura dismissed, stomping away from him to go to the kitchen where she pulled out her own stash of sake. Her teammates hadn't made the day any better with Sasuke throwing his normal silent hissy-fit whenever "Crow" got the best of them while Naruto had been so frustrated he and Kiba had torn the training room apart. She had been looking forward to some peace and quiet at home, but now even that was ruined.

Swirling to grab a glass, she gave a startled jump when she found him standing behind her and felt the bottle slip through her fingers. Before the evening was totally ruined with the loss of her alcohol he grabbed the falling bottle and when he looked at her she scowled, just knowing he was smirking at her behind his mask.

"Give me that," she growled, grabbing the bottle back from him and for a glass. Pouring a healthy amount, she walked past him to the living room where she sat on her couch and took a long pull of sake. "How many times do I have to tell you not to go after our targets?"

"The warrant was taking too long. He was going to destroy the evidence you needed and leave Konoha. I figured you wanted him caught and alive before that happened," he said, following her.

"Yes, but…damn it!" Sakura finally snapped, chugging the rest of her drink.

She knew there was no arguing with him. Over their various contacts the last six months, Sakura had realized he had a brilliant tactical mind and was able to predict the moves of the men he targeted. And she had never seen someone so skilled in hand to hand combat as his first several visits normally warranted attacks on her part, especially with his increasing involvement in police matters and breaking into her apartment. She figured somewhere in his unknown background were years of extensive combat training as the only people who could beat her in hand-to-hand were police personnel like herself or trained martial arts professionals.

"Have you found any more information?" he asked a few minutes of silence and Sakura idly rolled her head against the back of the couch to shoot him a glance before sighing.

"I'm looking, but it's been difficult with having to stay within legal limits," she told him, thinking of the drive she had received from him at their first meeting. "Danzō excels at covering his tracks. A little too well. My last few leads have led me to dead ends, sorry."

Danzō ran and led Konoha's military division and had been in that position for well over twenty years. In the face of the public he was a man that had the town's best interest at heart, but thanks to the information provided on the drive Sakura knew better.

"He has the means to cover his tracks. It's not that surprising you're running into difficulties," he murmured, lacing his fingers together as he braced his elbows against his thighs.

Glancing over at him, Sakura took in the strong line of his jaw not covered by his mask and the definition in his arms. Two months back a deep wound during one of his attacks on a drug den had brought him half conscious to Sakura's place before passing out. She had been forced – though not _that_ reluctantly, she thought honestly – to remove his shirts to clean and stitch up the wound and had seen firsthand the display of muscle underneath. She had also seen the large scar that graced most of his right side and she wondered how he had survived something that horrible.

Sighing as she closed her eyes and tried to sink further into the couch she wonder if it was odd that she found herself attracted to him. Some part of her tried to counter it with the reasoning she found his mind just as appealing, so it wasn't purely physical, but she wasn't comforted by it much. There was little consolation in finding yourself attracted to a wanted man whose face you have never seen.

"I need to go to bed," she decided. If she was trying to figure out how she could possibly like a man that played superhero behind a mask, she must be tired. "I'll keep working on my newest lead. I trust you can find your way out, like usual."

Heading towards her bedroom, she didn't notice Crow watching her or standing to follow. Startled when he suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled them into her bathroom, Sakura blinked as the door closed and she found them immersed in complete darkness. Her ears picked up the sound of something being set on the counter to her right and on instinct she looked towards it only to find her face captured between strong fingers.

"Hey, what are you -!" she started to protest only stop when she felt him kiss her, efficiently stopping whatever protests she was about to give. Shocked at the unexpected action, Sakura went still for several seconds as her scrambled brain tried to restart.

He was kissing her! Why was he kissing her? Her inner mind screamed in confusion. And why did he have to be good at it? Bad enough she found him attractive on two fronts, knowing he was a good kisser when she was acting like a dead fish made it even worse!

_Oh, hell with it_, she decided when he moved to pull back. Reaching up, she grabbed onto his shirt and kept him close as she returned the kiss. She would think of her actions later she resolved as he greedily took possession of her mouth. Humming in the back of her throat, Sakura rose on her toes as she shifted her arms to wrap around his neck, pressing them together.

With a soft shudder he broke the kiss and Sakura felt his breath ghost over her face. For several seconds, neither moved until finally he shifted, brushing his thumb gently over her cheekbone as his other flexed where it had settled against her hip. Letting her arms drop back to her side Sakura felt his own drop away though they remained close to each other.

"Close your eyes, Sakura," he murmured huskily and Sakura paused before slowly closing her eyes. She felt his lips brush against hers one last time before the air in front of her suddenly felt empty and she took several deep breaths before finally opening her eyes to see the bathroom door open and that she was alone.

"What the hell am I doing?" she muttered before collapsing against the counter behind her, even as she raised a hand to brush over her lips softly.

sSSs

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**Ending A/N: ** My, what a turn of events, and only two chapters in! On that note – I apologize, but the story may seem a little rushed. That was because it did start as a drabble that kept going on, and on, and on… so certain parts were not taken as in depth as they could be. And no, probably not going to fill them in (cause then this story would never be done).

Please review and I'll update again, quicker! Either that – or I'm killing Itachi


	3. The Clue

Naruto: Kakusei Heroism – The Hero Without A Name

**A/N: **It's been a few weeks…I guess I should post another. Thanks again for the reviews on the last chapter (and the helpful hint about grammar…ugh, grammar).

Please review again! They make me happy and want to post more!

_Kakusei Heroism – The Hero Without A Name_

_Chapter 3:The Clue_

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A few weeks later Sakura walked through the Konoha cemetery as a light drizzle fell from the overcast sky. Stuffing her hands in the pockets of the light jacket she wore, she made her way down the familiar path until she stopped at a set of tombstones. She tried to visit her parents' graves whenever she had time available, which sadly only occurred a few times a year. Taking a deep breath as she stared down at the markers, she exhaled as she let the silence and peace of the cemetery wash over her. She knew most people would find it odd, but something about the quiet of the cemetery had always comforted her, even when she had first come here to bury her parents.

She had been 15 when they had died in a sudden car accident. Tsunade, a good family friend and Sakura's godmother, had become her legal guardian as Sakura's only living grandparents had been too old to take care of a child. Sakura had lived with Tsunade until she completed high school and started college. It was probably the only reason why she, Naruto, and Sasuke – long time friends even before becoming a team on the police force – could withstand her former guardian's temper when so many could not.

After several more minutes of quiet solitude, she finally gave a nod of farewell before turning to leave. As she made her way through the rows of headstones, she looked around to see who else had come out on the rainy day. From what she could tell the cemetery was empty, but as she turned towards where her car was parked she spotted someone standing under a tree located by the Uchiha mausoleum.

A familiar someone.

Debating for a second Sakura finally huffed out a short breath as the sense of peace she had gained disappeared. She couldn't see his being here at the same she was as a coincidence, not when he knew the position he was in as a target of the police force, but she couldn't help but wonder why he was here and not her apartment. He had only come by her place once since the kiss, to drop off a helpful hint regarding her latest target before leaving just a quickly. As she still wasn't sure what to make of her feelings about the kiss or his evasive behavior afterwards, she was happy to let the topic go unspoken as she crossed the distance between them to stop next to him. Glancing at the tombstone he was standing in front of, Sakura frowned when she recognized the name.

"Did you know him?"

"We were on a team once, years back," he responded softly before the mask tilted her way from under his hood. "I take it you did?"

"Mostly by association," Sakura shrugged, still frowning lightly. "Uchiha Itachi was the older brother of one of my partners, Sasuke. I only heard bits and pieces about him. He was in the military, which is an odd career choice for being from the Uchiha family. Most end up in the police or Special Forces. He was somewhat estranged from them too, from what I understood."

Then, about sixteen months ago, things took an unexpected turn. Information started showing up that pointed towards Itachi selling top state secrets to the Fire Nation's unofficial political and economical enemies, including Ame and Iwa. The investigation was taken over by Special Forces, led by none other than Itachi's older cousin Shisui. What no one had expected was for Sasuke to snap after learning of his brother's actions, seek him out, and instigate the fight that resulted in Itachi's death and Sasuke being shunned by his already smarting family.

"What happened after he died?" he asked, snapping Sakura from her thoughts.

"I'm not too sure. If I remember correctly, the military stepped in citing needing to control all information to prevent further leaks," Sakura recalled before frowning. Now that she thought about it, she remembered Tsunade complaining about Danzō abusing his power at that time. Knowing what she did now, that didn't settle right with her.

Turning to ask, Sakura only gave a soft sigh when she realized he had disappeared again.

"You can learn to say goodbye," she muttered, leaving the cemetery with more thoughts than ever circling her head.

sSs

"Hey, Sakura-chan! Come on, let's goooo! It's Friday!" Naruto said as he braced against her desk at the police force's headquarters. Behind him Sasuke was also prepared to leave, but Sakura remained working on the paperwork in front of her. They had a break with their latest target – thanks to the information Sakura had received from "Crow" – who were now in custody and Sakura was finishing up the last of her work. "Stop being such a do-gooder and come drinking with me and Hana! Even Sasuke is coming with us!"

Shooting Sasuke a glance in surprise at the news, he returned it with a look of pained reluctance. Naruto was probably the only person who could force Sasuke into anything out of sheer, relentless, pestering and Sakura could only pity him.

"I'll pass this time," she told Naruto with a short smile. "Tsunade gave me some of her paperwork before she left earlier. I need to take care of it."

"Man, sometimes I think you _like_ doing paperwork," Naruto grumbled before he and Sasuke left her alone. Watching them leave, Sakura stretched before looking down at the paperwork in front of her with a sigh. Working on it for another hour, she kept track on the comings and goings of the other policemen until it was just her and those that worked the nightshift. Standing up to stretch again, she gave some of the officers on duty greetings before making her way to the basement of headquarters.

"Hey, Sakura!" Izumo and Kotetsu greeted her as she entered the police's records and storage area.

"Hello. What did you two do this time to get the nightshift?" she teased as she stopped at their desk. The two normally manned the desk during the day shift, so she hadn't been expecting them here so late at night.

"Eh, who knows," Kotetsu sighed before smiling at Sakura. "So why are you here late? I heard you guys got the gang from Otogakure."

"We did." The four-man cell had been a working target for most of the Konoha police for the last ten years. The members were the same age as Sakura, Naruto, and Sasuke, but had received some extensive combat training from one of Konoha's ex-citizens and greatest threat, Orochimaru. Capturing them was the SCU's biggest arrest yet, even more so than Tokuwa.

"I heard Crow didn't show up this time. I bet that made Tsunade-sama happy," Izumo reasoned, everyone knowing of Tsunade's anger and frustration when the masked fighter nabbed the police's targets.

"Yes, but it means I have to deal with the paperwork," Sakura sighed before holding up the stack she held in her hand. "I need to get into Records to pull some stuff so I can finish these for her."

"Sure. You know the procedure," Kotetsu said, pushing the log to Sakura who signed in before the two unlocked the outer door to let her in. "Need help finding the items?"

"No, I'm good," Sakura said with a quick wave as she opened the door to Records and went inside. Making her way through the rows of shelves and cabinets holding various criminal records and files, she found herself in the back of the room where the records related to the Special Forces were located. The log had showed there wasn't anyone else in the room with her, but knowing it might not stay that way even this late at night Sakura quickly located the drawer and found the file she had been itching to get her fingers on.

Opening it where she stood, Sakura looked at the record belonging to Uchiha Itachi. Danzō and the military may have taken over the case after Itachi's death, but Tsunade had refused to turn over the original documents the Special Forces had put together during their investigation.

The first thing to greet her was a group of pictures and Sakura took a second to look through them. There was no denying Itachi had been an attractive man, Sakura mused as she looked at his service picture. He and Sasuke shared the same shape in eyes and nose, but Itachi's features were sharper compared to Sasuke's more rounded appearance. In this picture his hair was short, but the next one she found seemed more recent and he had longer hair in it, with thick strands framing his face and the rest pulled into a low ponytail. With some reluctance Sakura put aside the pictures to flip through the other documents.

Since the meeting in the cemetery a week ago, Sakura hadn't been able to stop thinking about her conversation with Crow about this man. Trusting her instincts, Sakura had decided to look into what records were still available at the station. And it seemed she had gotten lucky. After months of looking into Danzō's dirty work, it wasn't hard to recognize his role and manipulation of the facts. Sakura suspected Danzō had ordered Itachi to look into the various criminals and spies, then turned around and presented the materials as evidence against him; though why he wanted Itachi dealt with was unclear. She suspected that eventually Special Forces would have dismissed the charges, but Sasuke's reckless actions had changed everything and the investigation was never finished.

A few more minutes of looking through the documents and Sakura returned the file to its spot. Turning to grab her paperwork and leave now that she had done what she had wanted to do, she paused in surprise when she turned the corner to find someone else in the room with her.

"Uchiha-san," she greeted, nodding at Uchiha Shisui with a polite smile. As one of the top agents in Special Forces - who had their own headquarters in a different building - she had only seen him when he had meetings with Tsunade and had not expected him to be here so late on a Friday.

He carried the same general looks as Itachi and Sasuke, though not nearly as refined, and his hair was a lighter color from how he kept it cut close to his head. She had no insight on his relationship with Sasuke and Itachi, but if she remembered the report correctly he had also been one of the first on the scene after Sasuke and Itachi's fight. He had left Sasuke to the other members of the Special Forces, choosing instead to leave the crime scene to ride in the ambulance with the dying Itachi. From Sakura's point of view, that seemed like abnormal behavior for someone who appeared to follow regulations to a T, but maybe the two cousins had been closer than she thought. Or maybe he had wanted to interrogate his supposedly traitorous cousin before he died.

"Haruno-san," Shisui returned the greeting, drawing Sakura from her musings, before frowning. "You're here late for a Friday."

"I could say the same for you," Sakura said, wondering how long he had been in the room with her. Had he seen her looking in the Special Forces records? There would be little she could say to defend herself if he had since those were restricted access files.

"No rest for the weary," Shisui said before glancing around. "What are you down here for?"

"Oh, I just needed some documents to give to Tsunade," Sakura said, holding up her papers.

"I heard about the bust SCU pulled today. Congratulations for catching the Sound gang."

"Thanks," Sakura smiled before glancing at her watch. "Anyways, I'm going to head out. It's been a long day."

"Have a good evening," Shisui nodded before walking past her. Watching him walk away, Sakura sighed as she rubbed her forehead before leaving Records. Signing out, she told Izumo and Kotetsu goodnight before returning to her desk where she locked away her work and headed home for the night.

sSSs

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**Ending A/N:** Let me know what you think! Good, bad, interesting? Please review!

**Disclaimer:** Not mine.


	4. The Catalyst

Naruto: Kakusei Heroism – The Hero Without A Name

**A/N:**I have a long…ish chapter (when compared to the other chapters). Go read.

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_Kakusei Heroism – The Hero Without A Name_

_Chapter 4: The Catalyst_

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The next morning, Sakura groaned as she was pulled from a peaceful sleep by her phone ringing loudly from her night stand. Thinking sadly about her simple plan to sleep in on her first day off in two weeks, she reached over and turned on the bedside lamp before grabbing her cell.

"Haruno," she mumbled out as a greeting while sitting up. A glance at her night stand showed it was 6:30 and she rubbed a hand over her face in an attempt to wake up.

"Sakura!"

"Tsunade-sama?" Sakura asked in surprise, the last haze of sleep disappearing at her boss' voice. "Wha-?"

"I'm calling in all SCU personnel. Get your ass down here immediately!"

"Eh?" Sakura said in surprise, but Tsuande had already hung up. Knowing Tsunade wouldn't call in all SCU personnel without warrant, Sakura went to change and head down the headquarters.

When she arrived just under thirty minutes later, she found HQ in chaos. Uniformed and plain clothed officers rushed around and Sakura could hear yelling from Tsunade's office all the way from the front entrance.

"Hey, Sakura-chan!" Turning to find Sakura and Naruto sitting at their desks, Sakura went to join them.

"You guys know what's going on?" she asked before yawning. Taking the cup of coffee Sasuke handed her with a quick smile, she watched her partners shrug.

"Tsunade-baa-san hasn't said anything yet to us. She just yells in her office."

Frowning, Sakura was taking her first sip of coffee when the door to Tsunade's office slammed open and she stormed out, closely followed by Shizune.

"Good, everyone's here," Tsunade said before pointing. "All SCU personnel, conference room!"

Following the other twenty-odd members in the SCU to the small conference room, Sakura grabbed a chair while Naruto and Sasuke leaned against the wall behind her. They were shortly joined by Kakashi, who was surprisingly on time and serious. Naruto immediately started talking to their senior and prior mentor, but Kakashi just shrugged and shook his head so Sakura could tell he was in the dark as much as they were. A few minutes after everyone was settled into the conference room, Tsunade entered and stood at the front of the room. She was silent for a few seconds as she scanned over everyone and Sakura gave a small jolt when Tsunade paused at her before continuing.

"Tokuwa Hirataka is dead," she finally announced and there was a moment of shocked silence before everyone started talking at once.

"What the hell!" Naruto yelled, rushing to the table. "You can't be serious!"

While not as vocal, Sakura could only share Naruto's surprise. Tokuwa was due to go on trial next week, his lawyer having succeeded in delaying the official trial for nearly eight months even though Tokuwa had been held in a Fire Nation prison since his original arrest.

"Quiet, all of you!" Tsunade eventually yelled and the room fell silent again.

"Tsunade." Speaking up, Kakashi immediately caught everyone's attention. "What are the details?"

"Due to his scheduled trial he was brought in to be held in HQ, as per standard protocol," Shizune responded, looking over the papers in her arms. "He was provided food at 1700 with all the other prisoners. The guards checked the cells every two hours after that and he was last seen awake at 2100, just before lights out. There were routine checks logged every two hours per protocol; however when the guards did the next check at 0500 Tokuwa was found dead in his cell by the new shift."

"How?"

"We are still waiting on the preliminary report from the coroner but all signs point to he was strangled," Tsunade said stiffly.

"What if it was him?" someone asked in the quiet following her statement. "Crow?"

That speculation sent everyone talking again and Sakura bit the inside of her cheek to keep from defending Crow. His only motive was to go after Danzō - killing Tokuwa wouldn't do anything and he had already spared the crime boss' life before. Looking up, she found Tsunade watching her again before turning when Kakashi spoke again.

"This isn't his style. He hasn't killed anyone that he's caught before and to target Tokuwa is an unusual pattern for him to operate by. He never goes after someone who we've brought in, only criminals who are still out on the streets," Kakashi finished and some of the other SCU members nodded in agreement.

"What about the logs for the holding cells?" Anko called from the back of the room, pulling the conversation back on topic. For security and liability purposes in situations like this, all doors in the holding cells required an electronic key pass to enter so the comings and goings of all personnel working last night should be on the log

"We are having the logs pulled for review," Shizune informed them.

"Regardless," Tsunade said, standing up, "This is unprecedented and I will not let it happen while I head the police force! Internal Affairs – Naruto! Shut it! – will be in charge of the investigation. I know none of you like it, but that is how this mess is being handled. If you have any information to provide, share it! That's all for now."

"Man, I hate Internal Affairs," Naruto grumbled and Sakura couldn't blame him. The relationship between IA and SCU personnel was never the best, due in part to SCU's deep involvement with the criminal groups and gangs that on occasion led to some evidence being "lost" during the investigation. Instances like that had diminished over the years, especially once Tsunade took control over the force, but the relationship still remained unfriendly between the two divisions.

"Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke," Tsunade called as the three headed out of the conference room. "My office in ten minutes!"

Nodding the three left and returned to their desks, Naruto slumping in his chair as he scowled across the office.

"We almost had him. That bastard was going to be locked up for the rest of his life! Now it doesn't matter."

At her desk Sakura started pulling the files on Tokuwa as she figured they would be handed over to IA only to pause when she pulled out a piece of paper. It was a log of all visitors that had seen him while he had been incarcerated that she had received only a few days earlier and had not yet had the chance to review. Looking at the list, she noticed over the past two weeks Tokuwa had received multiple visits from his lawyer, which was normal with the upcoming trial. What wasn't normal was that the district attorney had also paid Tokuwa multiple visits during that time, without letting Sakura or the others know.

Before she could look into it further Tsunade made her way to her office, waving at them to follow. Grabbing the paper, Sakura followed in the other two, closing the door behind her.

Without wasting any time, Tsunade intertwined her fingers as she stared at the three before speaking. "As you three headed the investigation against Tokuwa, I need you to tell me _anything_ that could impact the Internal Affairs investigation. Now isn't the time to be secretive."

When Naruto and Sasuke shook their heads, Sakura glanced at the paper in her hand before handing it off to Tsunade.

"Tokuwa was being visited by the DA handling the case right before he was brought in for trial," Sakura told Tsunade, who frowned while glancing down at the paper. "Do you know why?"

Still looking over the paper, Tsunade finally sighed as she sat back while crossing her arms over her chest.

"What I say does not leave this room," she told them and the three nodded immediately. "Two weeks ago Tokuwa had his lawyer contact us, saying his client was willing to share information with us, but only if we released him for trial in the Earth Nation."

"What? How could you guys do something like that for a bastard like him?" Naruto sputtered in shock. More than likely if Tokuwa was tried in his home country he wouldn't face as hard a trial or judgment as in Konoha and be back on the streets in months.

"I didn't say we did!" Tsunade snapped with enough anger to calm Naruto down. When it seemed no one was going interrupt again, Tsunade sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. Sakura could sympathize with her, understanding some if the pressure she must be under, but she felt there was something else missing.

"What was the information he had?" Sakura finally asked.

"We don't know, not really. Tokuwa refused to give specifics until we transferred him to HQ," Tsunade told them. "All we do know is that Tokuwa had information regarding a person he claimed had brought him to Konoha."

_Danzō_, Sakura thought instantly as her pulse suddenly picked up. She had no doubt that Tokuwa had been planning to provide information against Danzō to save himself. That would have ruined everything Danzō was working towards so he dealt with it like he did with any other threat: by killing person who could ruin everything.

"So now Tokuwa is dead and we have nothing," Sasuke reasoned flatly.

"Regardless - or rather, because of that information - IA will be looking to see if someone was paid off in our department to kill Tokuwa, to stop him from telling us anything about this mystery person," she told them. "This is almost a worst case scenario."

"So, what do we do?" Naruto asked, crossing his arms. "We can work on this with them – "

"No. Just go home," she instructed and warded off all protests to come by holding up her hand. "I know you guys don't' like it, but none of you were to work today so I'm not having you stay around for IA to focus on. Come in tomorrow like you're scheduled."

"Eh," Naruto huffed after he seemingly failed to come up with a good argument, turning and leaving with Sasuke on his tail.

"Sakura, stay a bit," Tsunade instructed before Sakura could leave with them.

"Shishou?" Sakura inquired once the door was closed.

"Are you sure there isn't anything else? Anything at all?" Tsunade pressed her and Sakura frowned.

"What? Why?" she asked

"Izumo and Kotetsu said you stayed late last night. When did you leave?"

"2115," Sakura reported immediately before gaping at Tsunade. "You think I killed Tokuwa?"

"Of course not, but I know you," Tsunade reasoned. "What I don't know is why you needed to get into Records the night Tokuwa died or why over the last five months you've been pulling files not related to your on-going cases."

Almost stunned speechless by Tsunade's revelation, Sakura sat still for several seconds before stating, "I would never do anything that would hurt the force, my teammates, or you Tsunade."

"I know, but IA doesn't. They're just going to see that you pulled cases on criminals that are linked to Tokuwa, the same type of criminals that would kill him if he was going to give information against them. Did you have your key with you last night when you left?"

"Yes, I took it home last night." She always took her key-pass home, so it shouldn't show up on the logs. Anyways, she had only been to the holding cells in the morning when they had brought in the Sound gang.

"That's something," Tsunade sighed before staring levelly at Sakura. "Can you give me any information about those cases you pulled?"

"Just research," Sakura stated, hiding the fact the research had been for _him._ Not for the first time, Sakura was tempted to tell Tsunade about everything – her hunch on Crow's identity, Danzō – but she held her tongue. They still didn't have enough information to legally convict Danzō and Sakura now knew the risk of pointing a finger at him. "All cases were of similar MO to Tokuwa's. I was simply looking to see if there may be further leads or any comparisons we could use in the future."

"Good answer, Sakura," Tsunade said with a nod, but Sakura knew she was far from pleased. "Go catch up with those two idiots, make sure they behave."

"Of course," Sakura replied with a small smile and after giving a short bow, left Tsunade's office to confirm Naruto and Sasuke were hanging around for her.

"Well?"

"Well, what?" Sakura asked as she grabbed her jacket and moved to leave HQ. She wanted to get home and she wasn't forgetting the warning Tsunade had just sent her. The last thing she needed was being here when IA showed up if she might be their prime target.

"What did Tsunade want? She kept looking at you during the meeting," Sasuke stated and Sakura wasn't surprised he had noticed.

"She was concerned," she told them before sending them a look to not talk about it now. After making a hasty retreat, the three left HQ and by unspoken agreement went to Naruto's apartment that was closest. Once the three had settled in Sakura sighed as Naruto and Sasuke glanced at her in expectation.

"I didn't leave until after the check yesterday when Tokuwa was last seen alive."

"That's bullshit! So Tsunade thinks IA will come after you?" Naruto growled, instantly making the connection. "There's no reason for you to kill Tokuwa when we had him sweating!"

"Regardless, it looks bad since Tokuwa was last alive at 2100. Someone skilled enough could kill him in that time if they had access to his cell," Sasuke reasoned before glancing at Sakura. "Do you recall who all was there when you left?"

Running through the list of the people she had seen on her way to Records and on her way out, Sakura finally listed the last person, though she did it reluctantly.

"I ran into your cousin, Shisui, on my way out of Records," she told Sasuke and saw him clench his jaw in anger. The event of Itachi's death had caused a rift between cousins and they barely acknowledged the other's existence anymore.

"Why would a member from Special Forces be at HQ so late in the day? He wouldn't have been there to see Tsunade since she had already left," Naruto reasoned before glancing at Sasuke. "Any ideas?"

"How should I know the reasons behind Special Forces actions? Shisui is a cunning, manipulative bastard in all things," Sasuke growled, glaring at the ground before glancing at Sakura. "Did he say anything to you?"

"No. We didn't talk much at all," Sakura told him, silently running through their conversation last night before standing up. "Anyways, I'm going back home and catching some sleep. I feel this may be our last break for a while."

"You're probably right," Naruto groaned as Sakura and Sasuke gathered their stuff and left. Outside, Sakura took a deep breath before turning towards the way home.

"Sakura."

"Hm?" Glancing over her shoulder, she found Sasuke frowning at her as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Are you – " he started to ask before trailing off when Sakura sent him a confused look.

"What?"

Staring at her, Sasuke finally shook his head and turned away.

"See you tomorrow."

"See you," she called after him, thankfully he couldn't tell how her pulse was pounding in her throat. Out of the two, Sasuke posed the most threat to finding out what she was doing and who she was working with. This Tokuwa situation just made everything more difficult now that most of the force would be on the look for anything suspicious.

And she was looking more suspicious every day.

* * *

**Ending A/N: **There's this time honored tradition – it's called reviewing. Reviewing means I remember I'm posting the chapters for the story, which means faster updates. Not only is this tradition, it's a proven fact for many writers.

Go on…try it :D

**Disclaimer:** Not mine.


	5. The Break

Naruto: Kakusei Heroism – The Hero Without A Name

**A/N:** I am in summer school. Sorry for the delay.

Posted a "cover" since implemented them. Since this fic was somewhat influenced by Darker Than Black, I liked the idea of using Hei's mask. The fact that it's creepy was just bonus :D Either way as a **DISCLAIMER:** the picture does not belong to me and should someone actually claim ownership, I will take it down immediately upon request.

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_Kakusei Heroism – The Hero Without A Name_

_Chapter 5: The Break_

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By the time Sakura returned home the weather had cleared, but her mood and headache had only worsened. Once inside she collapsed on the couch before throwing her arm over her eyes to block out the sunlight. Thoughts swirling around Tokuwa's death and what Tsunade had revealed to them Sakura fought back her mounting frustration.

"Damn it," she sighed softly in disappointment. Tokuwa could have provided them with that last link she needed to pin Danzo, but now they were back to square one again.

Eventually drifting off as the early morning caught up with her, she was fast asleep when Crow entered her apartment some time later.

Pausing when he found her sleeping, he quietly made his way over to the couch to stare down at Sakura. The porcelain mask was removed so the coal black eyes of Uchiha Itachi could clearly look down at her sleeping figure. She seemed stressed and worried, he noted as he took the shadows under her eyes and the furrowing of her forehead, and she had reason to be with Tokuwa's death.

That man's death had not factored into his plan, one that he had carefully spent the last year formulating. His history with Danzō went further back than that, back to when he had first entered the military at the request of Sarutobi. He had had some suspicions of Danzō's activities and motives, so had recruited Itachi to be his eyes and ears in the military. Having been trained since childhood to join and one day lead the Special Forces, at twenty Itachi had been the best option available for infiltrating and spying on Danzō. Sarutobi had also known of his devotion to Konoha so Itachi could not decline when he had been approached.

He spent eight years in the military trying to get information on Danzō. Because of his reputation as a Uchiha he had gained Danzō's attention soon after he joined and had been placed under his direct command. Danzō had assigned him some of the most dangerous missions, but each time Itachi succeeded he had gotten that much closer to Danzō. Just when Itachi was finally starting to get useful information, Sarutobi suddenly died and Tsunade was brought in to take control of the Konoha Police. Unsure if Tsunade was aware of his activities, Itachi had never contacted her but continued to search for more information on Danzō.

However, everything had suddenly changed during a routine mission in Iwa where he had been ordered to secretly collect information on a drug cartel. He had overheard word of an exchange to happen between the cartel and some unknown group that seemed to have ties to Konoha. Suspicious, Itachi had set up his team to spy on the exchange while ignoring their protests that they were acting outside of their orders from Danzō. Regardless, that night when the unknown group had shown up they had suddenly pulled out of the meeting, despite the angry protests of the drug cartel. Itachi hadn't been able to figure out what had made them cancel the deal – though he suspected someone in his group had been involved - and had been forced to return to Konoha despite his request for more time.

When he returned, he was greeted with charges of treason and placed under investigation. He had been alienated from his parents, brother, and extended family since joining the military without explanation– all except Shisui. Shisui hadn't known of all the details of Itachi's investigation, but knew enough to know the sudden charges weren't good. In the end, Itachi had been forced to place his faith in his cousin as a result of Sasuke's brash actions, and in the woman sleeping in front of him.

_We're running out of time_, he realized as he gently brushed his fingers over Sakura's face. He had never planned to bring someone like her into his revenge, but something about her dedication to Konoha and its people reminded him of how he use to be and had drawn him to her instead of Uzumaki. He never expected for that attraction to turn into anything deeper, respect and admiration of her strength and intelligence, not to mention the growing desire he felt for her every time he allowed their paths to cross. It seemed with the mask to hide behind, he was more willing to show his human side he had thought long buried from working with Danzō.

Leaning over the couch, he bent until his lips covered Sakura's. He felt her sigh at the touch, her mouth opening willingly at the contact and while he wished to continue he could tell she was waking up. Straightening, he allowed himself one last touch, brushing her hair away from her face, before stepping back and pulling his mask back into place.

From the window he watched unnoticed as Sakura sat up on the couch, her fingers coming up to brush over her lips as a faint blush covered her cheeks. When she noticed his presence, green eyes blinked at him as her blush darkened before she looked away, using her long hair to hide her face.

"Did you...," she started before shaking her head and standing up. "You heard about Tokuwa?"

"Yes," he nodded, watching as she stretched before going to the kitchen. Watching her go through the familiar steps of making tea, she remained silent until the kettle was started and her blush receded.

"We're running out of time," she said, echoing his earlier thoughts. "Danzō knew Tokuwa was going to tell us important information about the person who brought him to Konoha, information my team didn't have. The only way he could have known is if he had someone reporting to him. It could have been Tokuwa's lawyer or..."

"One of the higher-ups at the prison."

"Or someone in the police force. I know it's possible to have a snitch in HQ," she told him and he was impressed with her acknowledgement. Many on the force wouldn't be so willing to accept the truth. "And it would make sense that someone inside would know how to bypass our security to reach Tokuwa."

"I take it there's an investigation?"

"Internal Affairs was brought in," Sakura confirmed, crossing her arms as she frowned down at the ground and he wondered what she wasn't sharing with him. "But I doubt they'll catch the person that killed Tokuwa."

"What is it?" he asked. He could find the information on his own later, but he would prefer she just tell him.

"Shishou believes I will be a target of their investigation. I was at the station late last night and she's noticed I've been pulling certain case files outside of assignments," Sakura explained, looking to meet his gaze behind the mask. "She trusts me, but IA will be less forgiving."

"What cases?" he asked as Sakura turned to prepare the tea when the kettle began to whistle.

"Various ones, most of them somehow connected to the information you had provided me," she explained as she gathered up a cup as the tea started to seep. "I was trying to find the connection to Danzō."

Finishing, Sakura sighed as she carried the tea out to the living room.

"I don't get it," Sakura sighed as she sat on the couch. "There is no documented proof that Danzō had direct contact with any of the criminals he has brought to Konoha, no money trail. That only leaves military personnel, but even then there's nothing that says there was military presence in those countries at that time."

Nodding in agreement as his own investigation had stalled from the same missing information, Itachi watched Sakura frown into space before looking towards him.

"Danzō must have someone working for him that isn't the military, or…wait!"

Nearly spilling her tea as she suddenly jumped to her feet, Itachi watched as Sakura hurried to her bedroom. There was a slam of a drawer before she came back, computer and the flash drive in hand.

"I was so stupid!" Sakura muttered as she started working on the computer. "I dismissed it immediately but I should have looked closer…"

"At what?"

Looking up, Sakura sent him a brilliant smile before flipping the computer around to show him what she had pulled up.

"Why does Danzō own a gardening business?"

sSs

"Hey, Sakura. Come on in," Ino greeted a week later. Opening the plain steel door that led into the large warehouse Ino let Sakura inside, watching as she blinked to try and adjust to their low lighting. "You got here quick."

"I'm not working today," Sakura told her long time friend as she glanced around. In truth she had been taken off active duty due to Tokuwa's investigation, but she hadn't protested as she was focusing her attention on the break with Danzō, hence her presence here. "Where is he?"

"Holed up in his office. He only came out long enough to call you," Ino sighed, referring to one of her partners that made up InoShikaCho Security. "Whatever little project you have him working on has had his interest for the first time in days."

"Hm," Sakura dismissed, shrugging noncommittally. Originally Ino, Shikamaru, and Choji had been in the police force along with Sakura and the others, but had eventually left to start up their high-tech security company and had a made a killing from it. They still kept close ties with the force, often supplying whatever surveillance equipment they needed and providing whatever customizations needed to be made. But Sakura had approached Shikamaru for a favor that crossed over the line of legal, and if she could, she would keep Ino and Choji out of it.

"Yo, Sakura." Sticking his head out from behind another door across the warehouse floor, Shikamaru gave Sakura a half-hearted wave. "Got here quick."

"Yeah, what you got for me, Shikamaru?" Sakura asked, giving a brief wave goodbye to Ino as she joined the spiky haired genius.

"A challenge, for sure. Troublesome on top of it as well," Shikamaru sighed as he sat on his desk while Sakura took the chair across from it.

"You know I live to cause you trouble," Sakura teased before taking the stack of papers Shikamaru handed her. "What are these?"

"The annual budget reports for Root," he said as Sakura flipped through them. "You notice anything?"

"No." Sakura shook her head, trying to wrap her head around all the different numbers, but nothing seemed wrong.

"That's because it's completely legal. Every cent accounted for, going back the last ten years," Shikamaru explain to her and Sakura looked up at him, frowning.

"Seriously?" Did this mean she had guessed wrong? Yet all her instincts screamed that Root was their last possible link.

"I double checked the math myself. Damn good accounting."

"Shit!" Sakura swore, tossing the papers on his desk as she stood up to pace. The whole week had been wasted chasing this one lead and now they were back to square one.

"Don't give up so quickly. Look at these," Shikamaru said, pulling out another stack of papers and giving them to her.

"What? Some charity work Danzō also supports?"

"No. It's the real money flow for Root," Shikamaru told her calmly and Sakura snapped her head over to look at him.

"What?"

"I missed it myself the first time through," he sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Like I said: damn good accounting. I probably wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't noticed that Root seems to have more people employed than being paid, so I looked it over again. I noticed a pattern and if you have a pattern – "

"You can break it," Sakura finished, flipping through the pages and taking notes of the parts Shikamaru seemed to have highlighted. "This is a lot of money."

"Some people are willing to fork over a lot of money to hire a personal army, even temporarily."

"Army?"

"A little background digging showed me just how deep this whole thing runs," Shikamaru said. "You mentioned charity? Apparently Danzō has a things for orphans."

"Oh, ew."

"Not like that. Every year the military provides scholarships to orphans living in Konoha, to go the military academy just outside town for four years. Some move on afterwards, but the rest either enter the military or employed through Root after graduation."

"He literally raises his own army," Sakura murmured, sitting back down in the chair as Shikamaru nodded. She hadn't figured, or taken into account, that Danzō would go so far as to create his own army and with the training received at the academy, probably one of the strongest fighting forces in the five countries. That meant that if the Fire military didn't remain under his control, he could still use his own army to usurp the country.

"How did something like this go on for so long with no one noticing?" she asked, more to herself than Shikamaru.

"No one bothered to look, until you," Shikamaru stated and Sakura looked up at him. "However you got into this Sakura, you're in deeper than you yourself can manage. I hope you have back-up."

"Yeah," Sakura murmured as she thought of the man waiting for her in her apartment to return with Shikamaru's findings. "Did you find anything about Tokuwa while you were looking into this for me?"

"Nothing is in their records, but it's not surprising. Twenty years ago Root wasn't around yet and records back then were paper," Shikamaru explained to Sakura who nodded, not surprised. "I was, on the other hand, able to cross reference large spending costs that match with some of the other information you gave me. It seems Root has been expanding outside the world of lawn maintenance."

"And you have records for that?" Receiving an arch look from Shikamaru, Sakura shrugged lightly in apology before looking at the flash drive he put on the table between them.

"Everything on there is laid out," he said as Sakura tucked the flash drive away. "More importantly, most of it is legal."

"What? How?" There was no way Danzō would be so sloppy as to just give this information away.

"For all that his accountant is good, he's stupid. He can hide the numbers, but Danzō got audited a few years back when his company got hired by the city for gardening purposes and they had their financial records opened to the public. Either Danzō has too much faith in his accountant, or he's gotten comfortable in the shadows and doesn't think anyone can find him."

"We found him," Sakura grinned. "I know I called in a favor for you to do this Shikamaru, but I owe you."

"I'm sure it'll come in handy sooner or later," Shikamaru shrugged before leaning forward to brace his elbows on the desk in his thinking pose before looking up at Sakura. "Watch your back, Sakura. I don't know just how many pots Danzō has his fingers in. With the IA affair with Tokuwa's death, you need to be extra careful you don't wind up behind bars, not him."

"I know." Standing from the chair, Sakura again thought about the man waiting for her back at her apartment and paused, her hand unconsciously rising to brush over her lips as she recalled the soft kiss that had woken her from her dreams a week ago.

"Sakura?"

Glancing over at Shikamaru Sakura paused, weighing the thoughts in her mind.

"Do you have a few more minutes to spare? I have something I want you to look into if you don't mind breaking a few more laws."

sSSs

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**Ending A/N:** Naming the countries in this fic is causing me problems. The Police Force is linked to Konoha specifically, but the military belongs to the country, but I hate using "Land of Fire" (and Fire Nation makes me think of Avatar). Apologies, because it may stay inconsistent.

I'm on summer break, so I will try and get the next chapter posted within the next few weeks.

Please review (look how easy they made it! Its right below here, just scroll down…there!).

**Disclaimer:** Does not belong to me.


	6. The Whole Picture

Naruto: Kakusei Heroism – The Hero Without A Name

**A/N:** I am lazy. Sorry for the delay.

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_Kakusei Heroism – The Hero Without A Name_

_Chapter 6: The Whole Picture_

* * *

When Sakura finally left the InoShikaCho building it was dark outside. It had taken Shikamaru longer to help her with her second favor than she had expected and she knew better to leave without talking with Ino. Glancing at her watch she winced, not having planned on the trip to see Shikamaru taking so long. She had left Crow at her apartment when Shikamaru had called her in – not exactly willingly, but she wanted Shikamaru's involvement to be kept silent and Crow hadn't pressed when she had asked him to stay. Still, she hadn't meant to leave him there alone for more than a few hours.

Buttoning up her coat against the cold Sakura automatically checked that her gun remained within reach as she headed towards her apartment. She kept her guard up as she joined the work crowd heading home, the revelation about Root – specially trained military fighters in the guise of civilians – putting her on edge. She was still a few blocks from home when she found someone had joined her.

"You cannot return to your apartment," Crow murmured as they paused at an intersection.

"What? Why?" Sakura asked. Glancing up at him from the corner of her vision she saw his jacket hood was pulled up, the evening shadows helping to hide the porcelain mask.

"People came and searched it, most likely trying to find evidence."

"Was it Internal Affairs?" She still had not been formally placed under investigation and it was against the Police Force protocol to do an unsanctioned search, but Tokuwa had been such a high profile case she wondered if even IA was willing to break protocol.

"No, they were not with the force. More than likely Danzō's spy passed on the fact you are under investigation from IA for suspicious activity related to Tokuwa's death. They are probably searching for evidence, to see if you knew he was going to name Danzō. He won't be taking any risks."

"My computer?" The evidence they had against Danzō was on it, not to mention Crow's flash drive had been in her bedroom when she had left.

"I took it and the drive," he told her. "Was your contact able to get anything else?"

"Yeah, we got more than enough now," Sakura told him and felt the hand that been at her back directing her tense for a second before loosening. Glancing around, Sakura finally paid attention to where he had re-directed them. They had left the more central part of Konoha and had entered the rougher part of town. It was less populated and people were more likely to stick to themselves, giving them as much protection as if they were attempting to hide in a crowd. "Where are we going?"

"A safe spot, for now anyways," was all Crow said and Sakura nodded, knowing she was at the point where she would just have to trust him.

It wasn't difficult, she realized with a small start. Despite never seeing his face or knowing his background, she had never felt he had lied to her about Danzō, nor had she ever felt he possessed some kind of threat against her.

"What is it?"

"Nothing," she dismissed, not wishing to share or explore her feelings further.

Passing by what appeared to be an abandoned building, he had them turn into the narrow alley next to it. Reaching a door at the back of the abandoned building, Crow opened it before ushering her inside before using a piece of heavy metal to secure the door. For a second she felt the air around shift as if she was alone and just as she was about to call out light shined out of a doorway a few steps away, barely illuminating the entry way she was in. Going to the entryway, she looked in to see that Crow had set himself up in what looked to be an old apartment.

"Homey," Sakura murmured softly to herself as she took in the full and limited view of the space. The few appliances were connected to an old generator in the corner and the only window, small and set high in the wall, had been covered by both wood and cloth so that no one would be able see any light from outside. All in all, it was very much a place for someone who didn't want to be found.

Figuring her apartment was being watched by this point, she knew there was no way she could return home for the rest of the night. Still, Sakura thought with a sigh, there could be worse places to be stuck even if none came to mind at the moment. At least it appeared to be fairly clean she noted as she stepped inside.

"Here." Glancing over she saw Crow holding out her computer case and she took it with a nod. A small table with two chairs occupied one corner of the room and Sakura quickly got set up, pulling out the flash drive from Shikamaru.

sSs

For the next few hours, they worked to combine their information with that from Shikamaru. The only time they stopped was for Crow to do a perimeter check while Sakura made a quick meal out of instant ramen and tea. By the time they finished the report against Danzō the ramen was cold and only half eaten, but Sakura felt too nauseous to eat anymore.

"Did you even suspect this much?" she asked Crow, watching him. He had been quiet for the last thirty minutes, but Sakura could read his tension and anger in the way he held his body.

The information painted a horrifying past going back three decades. Thirty years ago Danzō applied to become the new head of the Konoha police, but was passed over in favor of Sarutobi Hiruzen. Rather than take a lower position under Sarutobi, who Danzō had considered to be his biggest rival in strength and intelligence, he had elected to stay in the military that was becoming obsolete as the Fire Nation finally entered peace following decades of clashes with their neighboring countries.

Because of peacetime, Danzō was forced to work with a limited budget and personnel. Pulled records of town meetings showed Danzō routinely asked for more funds to strengthen the military, but was constantly denied by the government council with the biggest opposition coming from Sarutobi himself. Eventually Danzō was promoted following the death of his superior and was given full command of the military. When he was still denied the means to increase the military's strength, he appeared to finally desist.

A year later Konoha was attacked by terrorists, the first major attack on the city after nearly fifteen years. Though the group – terrorists from Iwa - was eventually caught, the attack had been enough for Danzō to get the funding he had always wanted to strengthen the borders.

Even without seeing all the official records, Sakura had no doubt that Danzō was the one responsible for bringing the terrorists to Konoha. There was no evidence that the group had been in Konoha prior to the attack, yet they had known what parts of town been the most vulnerable and lacked either military or police coverage. They had been able to reach the town hall without issue and would have succeeded in setting off a bomb to kill the Daimyo and several other government officials if not for the presence of Sarutobi and other police personnel. In the end city hall had been secured but not without casualties

The lack of knowledge of such a large group of known terrorists crossing the Fire Nation border, the precise movements of the attack, and the fact that the attack got Danzō the funding he wanted… there was no way it had been an unlucky coincidence.

It wouldn't have benefited him to not have more conflicts to face though, or he risked having his funding pulled as soon as the council settled down. In the following years, Konoha and the Fire Nation would experience an increase in crimes and drug trafficking, which spiked around the same time Danzō would have started Root. All of these new groups were found to have ties in Fire's neighboring countries and former enemies.

The military outposts were also involved in a number of skirmishes with larger gangs trying to pass over the borders or well-supplied extremists, yet somehow no one seemed to make it out alive for questioning to find their motives. The military handled all investigations and Danzō played his part perfectly, keeping the attacks fresh in the mind of council while sweeping them under the rug at the same time.

He was a true devil's advocate: proclaiming to keep Konoha and Fire safe while bringing in the enemies to that would prevent it. As the years passed, the events slowly escalated no matter how hard the force worked and Sakura knew that Danzō was leading them to the point where Konoha would have to revert back into a military state, with him at the head.

The man had unfailing patience, she reasoned as she pushed away from the table to start pacing the small room. A plan like this needed to be done over years, _decades_, for him to escape suspicion. And anytime he felt his plan threatened, he sent out his trained and loyal mercenaries to handle it, as was the case with Tokuwa and more than likely Uchiha Itachi.

Sakura didn't share her thought about Sasuke's brother as she went to lean against the counter while watching Crow.

"We need to take this to someone."

They were past the time where they could simply investigate and needed to start preparing. The trends showed they were quickly reaching the apex of Danzō's plan, but Sakura refused to even consider letting him get that far.

"Who would you tell? Danzō has had control over the council since Sarutobi's death, including the judges who are needed for the warrants."

"Tsunade." There was no hesitation in her words, but she saw Crow's body tense slightly.

"She won't take kindly to my involvement."

That was an understatement, but Sakura shrugged away the comment.

"Tsunade trusts me and I trust you," she spoke without putting much thought in the words before noticing too late. In the growing silence following her statement, she resisted the urge to fidget under the weight of Crow's stare. Finally she looked over to see the white mask silently observing her and she felt the heat of her embarrassment creep up her cheeks. "Anyways, that should be enough for her too look at everything we pulled and it speaks for itself."

"I will put it in your hands then," he said before standing. Sakura watched with a touch of nervousness as he approached before feeling his hands brush gently over her arms as he stopped in front of her. For a second they stood that way, close enough she could feel each breath he took and her hand was just starting to reach towards him when he silently stepped back.

"I will do another check of the area," he told her, turning to grab his jacket and heading to the door. "You can take the bed."

Nodding as she didn't quite trust herself to speak, Sakura was going to let him leave when she found herself speaking.

"What will you do, once he's been taken down?" she asked and he paused in the door.

"Disappear," he said without turning to face her before stepping into the darkness.

sSs

In the wake of Crow's departure, Sakura found herself staring blankly at the doorway. There was no reason why she should be surprised at his answer, let alone have the emotions that rose at the thought of him just vanishing from her life. He could not continue as he was. One day he would become a threat and have to be hunted down for his activities and she wouldn't – no, _couldn't –_ protect him.

Those thoughts were logical, she reasoned. What wasn't reasonable was that she knew she would miss Crow in her life, despite all the irritation he caused her. There was no denying she was attracted to him, her mind returning to the kiss in her bathroom and one only partially remembered in a dream.

Yes, definitely attraction, she recognized as the heat crawled up her cheeks. Shaking her head, she went back to the computer.

But, she was just as attracted to his mind and…soul? Person? That fundamental part of him that showed through even as he hid behind his mask. She had worked with him for nearly seven months at this point and even if she didn't know his favorite food or pastime, she couldn't help but feel as if she knew him. Enough that she had trusted him the whole time they had investigated Danzō, even if she hadn't always seen it.

"Ridiculous," she muttered, removing the thumb drives connected to the computer as she shut it down. Staring down at the two in her palm, she left one sitting on the table, the other she hid in her coat pocket to take and show Tsunade the next morning. As much as she wanted to see Tsunade right now there was no point going in the middle of the night. If she was being watched, it meant Tsunade may be as well. She was too powerful for Danzō to ignore. So, Sakura would wait until morning.

With the computer packed up Sakura glanced around the small space. Even bare, she could see touches of Crow around. Some tea packets on the counter, a couple of books she had noticed tucked away on top of the fridge, and the neatly made bed tucked far back in the corner, which spoke more than her normally messily made one.

Realizing Crow would be back from his check soon and her thoughts were too scattered to deal with him, Sakura made her way over to the bed. They had already decided Sakura would take the small bed for the night so she quickly kicked off her shoes and shrugged off her sweater to the tank top she wore underneath. Crawling under the sheets, she had just settled down and closed her eyes when she heard the door open and Crow return.

She listened without moving as he moved quietly through the apartment for a few minutes until the light beyond her eyelids disappeared, sending them both into darkness. Soon after she heard in him settle in for the night himself, maybe only a few feet away from the bed. Slowly opening her eyes, she found herself gazing into nothing. With the window tightly sealed and doorway just as secured, there was no way for extra light to get in and she couldn't even see the wall inches from her nose.

For several minutes she did nothing more than listen to the sound of the man behind her breathing as her mind returned to her earlier thoughts. Making up her mind as she took in the comforting sound, Sakura sat up to swing her legs over the side of the bed.

"What is it?" Crow asked immediately and Sakura glanced to where his voice came from. It was clear, meaning in the protective darkness he had removed his mask and she found her heart pounding in her throat at the action. Standing, she moved through the darkness until she reached where Crow was sitting. He was nothing more than a darker shadow in the darkness, but she was able to clearly sense his location as she sank to her knees.

"Nothing," she told him, reaching out in the darkness. She felt his hand wrap around her wrist, and she used that to guide her until she was settled between his legs and her free hand found his face, finding living flesh rather than cold porcelain. "I've just… made up my mind."

With her determination announced, Sakura bent in until she could softly kiss him. The hand still wrapped around her wrist tightened in response before loosening to shift to her shoulder. Afraid he would move to push her away Sakura brought her freed hand to tangle in his hair as she deepened the kiss, nipping at his bottom lip. She knew it was stupid and unlike her to act this way, but she didn't want to look back on this moment one day and regret that she hadn't done something, anything.

As if sensing her resolve, the hand on her shoulder tightened, pulling her in closer to him as his other hand settled on her hip. She sighed as he finally responded, shifting until every stroke of the tongue, every application of pressure sent sparks through her body. When he broke the kiss to trail kisses along her jaw and down her neck, she stared into the darkness as she tried to catch her breath only to gasp as the hand on her hip slid under her shirt, light fingers tickling her skin.

"Sakura," he murmured against her neck and Sakura could hear his own indecision in his voice now that it wasn't muffled by the mask. Tightening her grip to bring his head back to her, Sakura bent to give him a slow kiss. Pulling back, she grazed her fingers over his cheek, thankful and hating the fact she couldn't see him.

"I just don't want any regrets," she told him softly, wondering if he could understand her feelings. For several seconds he didn't move or respond until he pushed her away. Startled by the sudden movement Sakura staggered to her feet but before she could register the rejection, he was on his feet and pulling her back so she was flush against him as they collapsed on the bed.

"No regrets," he agreed before he bent to kiss her. Sighing into it, Sakura fisted her hands in his shirt as she welcomed him and everything he gave her.

sSSs

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**A/N:** I know, took forever to post. Anyways, please review if you want to the next chapter up sooner!

**Disclaimer**: Not mine.


	7. The Arrest

Naruto: Kakusei Heroism – The Hero Without A Name

**A/N:** Happy three day weekend!

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_Kakusei Heroism – The Hero Without A Name_

_Chapter 7: The Arrest_

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"Shishou."

"Sakura, what are you doing here this early? You aren't due in for another few hours," Tsunade said in surprise, glancing up from her desk as Sakura closed the door behind her. The clock read just past six and though Tsunade had been in the office since five, the office was still full of officers from the night shift.

"We need to talk," Sakura told her seriously as she stepped up to Tsunade's desk. Watching Tsunade set down the report she had been reading before folding her hands, Tsunade finally nodded.

"Then let's talk, Sakura. I've been waiting."

Taking the seat across from Tsunade, Sakura sighed as she tried to organize her thoughts. She still hadn't quite figured the exact way to start this conversation, but she could feel the time ticking away.

"Why don't you start when this all started?" Tsunade said after Sakura remained silent for several minutes, rising from her desk to pour them both a cup of coffee from the pot in her office.

Taking her suggestion, Sakura started at the night she had gone undercover to capture Tokuwa last winter. Working her way through the story, she talked about Crow and the mysterious thumb drive he had left her that night, and the contents inside.

"Do you know who he is?" Tsunade asked and Sakura stared down at her cup, her dark reflection staring back up at her. She had her suspicion – hope – of who Crow really was, but she had no proof, just her own hunch.

"No," Sakura said, shaking her head. Explaining her work with Crow over the next six months, she left out the other side of their relationship, the private side Tsunade didn't need to know about. As it was, she figured Tsunade guessed from some of the looks her old guardian sent her, and Sakura was silently thankful that Tsunade refrained from asking any questions.

"So, you and Crow were investigating all the different gangs that have come to Konoha over the past twenty-five years, thinking there was something linking them all together," Tsunade summarized.

"Not just linking them together," Sakura clarified. She had been building up to the revelation of Danzō, because she needed Tsunade to understand before she pointed the finger that could throw Konoha into chaos. "Someone _brought_ them to Konoha for a purpose."

"Who?" Tsunade asked, frowning at Sakura. "It would have to be someone with power and money."

"And influence in the government. Someone who stood to gain from all the problems these people would bring," Sakura led her and Tsunade's brows snapped together as realization dawned. Sakura was never more grateful than in that moment that Tsunade was a brilliant cop and leader, easily pulling the information together without Sakura needing to say it.

"You don't mean - ?" Tsunade asked only to stop talking as there came the sound of commotion from outside her office. "What in the world is going on?"

Standing from her chair, Sakura went to the door and peaked from behind the curtains only to feel her heart drop. Military personnel were entering headquarters, stirring up irritation from force personnel as they roughly made their way through the office.

Dropping the curtains in surprise, Sakura ignored the anxiety rising in her to go back to the desk.

"Who is it?" Tsunade asked only to blink as Sakura handed her the thumb drive.

"This contains everything against Danzō," Sakura told her. "All the documents Crow and I found, and the information Shikamaru pulled."

"Even Nara is involved?" Tsunade asked surprised, and Sakura gave a short nod as she heard the sound of footsteps become louder the closer they came to the office. "Really Sakura – "

"Listen to me, please!" Sakura said quickly, keeping her voice down. "The gardening company is a front, a way for Danzō to cover his tracks. He is the one responsible for Tokuwa's death, because he was the person Tokuwa was going to – "

Snapping her mouth shut as the door to Tsunade's office opened, Sakura slowly straightened and turned to stare at the soldiers that entered the room. She instantly noticed they were all armed, and their hands came to rest on their guns as they stared at Sakura.

"What is the meaning of this!?" Tsunade barked angrily, glaring at the soldiers. "What are you doing breaking into my office?"

"My dearest apologies, Tsunade-sama," a voice spoke and Sakura watched as Danzō stepped into the office. "However, in a situation like this, presence in numbers is sometimes required."

"A situation like what, exactly?" Tsunade asked sharply, crossing her arms as she glowered up at Danzō.

"It pains me to do this as I know she was once your ward, Tsunade-sama," Danzō spoke and Sakura felt a chill crawl down her back as his cold, hard gaze came to land on her, "but we are here to arrest Haruno Sakura for treason to Konoha and the Fire Nation."

"What?" Sakura asked in surprise, taking a step forward without thinking. Before she could go any further, she found herself the target of all the soldiers in the room who had drawn their weapons at her movement.

"Explain yourself, Danzō, _now_," Tsunade ordered, standing from her desk as Sakura stepped back into her original position though the guns didn't lower.

"We have proof that Haruno-san has been accessing various records over the past six months, outside of her current jurisdiction. These same records have seemed to have appeared in the hands of known enemies to Konoha," Danzō explained. "Among them seems to be the layout of several buildings, including the town hall and the hospital."

Biting back the words that she wanted to say before she fell even further into Danzō's trap, Sakura fisted up her hands as she glared at him.

"We also have proof that she is the one responsible for Tokuwa Kenichi's death. Surely that alone would warrant her immediate arrest," Danzō finished, finally looking over at Sakura to smile condescendingly at her. "Surely you didn't think your actions would go unnoticed. After all, Tokuwa was an enemy of all of Konoha."

"That is a strong accusation, Danzō," Tsunade said softly as she finally moved from behind her desk to place a restraining hand on Sakura's shoulder, "I would like to see some proof."

"Of course, Tsunade-sama," Danzō said as one of the soldiers next to him stepped forward holding a manila envelope, passing it off to Tsunade. "Now if you will excuse us, we will be taking Haruno-san in for further questioning."

"Shishou," Sakura said softly, trying to keep the panic and fear out of her voice.

"Hold on," Tsunade spoke, moving to place herself in front of Sakura as some of the soldiers moved forward. "First, I would like to know how you have information on the on-going Tokuwa investigation."

"It was a matter of national security."

"It was an internal investigation that I never gave you clearance to get information on," Tsunade retorted, scowling at the still smiling Danzō.

"Nonetheless, we must be going," Danzō said, evading Tsunade to motion towards Sakura again. "Haruno-san, your gun."

"I said _hold on_," Tsunade barked before Danzō's men could move. For several seconds Tsunade watched Danzō silently before holding out her hand to Sakura. "Sakura, turn in your gun."

"I - " Sakura started to protest only to fall silent until the look her mentor shot her. Meeting Tsunade's firm gaze, Sakura gave a short nod as she finally reached for her gun, not missing the way Danzō's men tensed until she removed the magazine and handed both over. She had faith that Tsubane knew what she was doing and Sakura really had no choice but to trust her.

"Excellent decision, Tsunade-sama," Danzō said with a terse smile. "Haruno-san, you are now under the jurisdiction of the Fire Nation Military. We will be taking you in for questioning."

"The matter regarding Tokuwa's death is still under my purview, so I do hope you won't mind if I come along," Tsunade said, moving to the desk to grab her coat.

"The information is all in the folder I provided," Danzō countered and Tsunade nodded.

"And I plan on reading everything in it very closely," Tsunade informed him, the tone of her voice turning it into a soft threat, "but I still have every intention of following this investigation through to the end. So, I will be coming with you. Shizune!"

Forcing her way through the men that were flanking the door to Tsunade's office, Shizune made her way to Tsunade.

"I am going with Danzō, Kakashi will be in charge while I'm away," Tsunade instructed before handing over Sakura's gun with a pointed look. It was only for a second, but Sakura caught sight of her flash drive that Tsunade had been holding pass between the two. "When I come back, I want everything cleared up, understand?"

Instantly Sakura realized what Tsunade was planning. She would be protecting Sakura by being present during the questioning as he couldn't risk doing anything to her with Tsunade watching him. At the same time, she was leaving Kakashi and Shiuzne all of the information Sakura had gathered against Danzō with the direct order to look into it. It could be enough for the police to act if Danzō made even the slightest mistake.

"Well, let's go," Tsunade ordered once Shizune nodded, arching a look at Danzō. "I would hate to make you waste any more time here."

Only giving a polite nod, but clearly not happy with how things had turned out, Danzō turned and headed out of the station. Sakura flinched when two of his men came up and flanked her, one grabbing her arm to urge her forward. Another look from Tsunade had her biting back a sharp comment, so she stayed silent as they left the office.

"Hey, Sakura-chan!"

Unable to stop from groaning in surprise as Naruto called out to her, Sakura glanced over to see Naruto and Sasuke moving toward their group. She wasn't expecting them to be here as it was still some time before their scheduled shift and when they were stopped from reaching her or Tsunade, Sakura feared what her teammates would do as confusion and anger filled both of their faces.

"Sakura-chan, what's going on?"

"You may not speak to the suspect," the dark haired guard close to their age spoke.

"Suspect?" Sasuke asked, shooting a look after Sakura as he frowned.

"Suspect for what?" Naruto asked the guard. When he didn't respond and turned to follow the rest of Danzō's group, Naruto scowled and reached out to stop him. "Hey, I'm talking to you!"

"Naruto." Glancing over, Naruto found Kakashi had arrived and was standing next to Shizune. Shaking his head sharply, Naruto took the hint and slowly let go of the guard who sent him a look of contempt before leaving the building. For several seconds after the strange group left, everyone remained silent until Naruto finally let out a frustrated groan and kicked a desk.

"What the fuck was that about? What do they mean Sakura's a suspect?"

"Shizune-san?" Kakashi asked and Shizune shook her head. She didn't know what had happened since Sakura had come in asking to see Tsunade alone, but she glanced down at the flash drive Tsunade had given her. Turning, she went into her superior's office, not surprised when Kakashi and Sakura's teammates followed.

"Tsunade-sama gave me this before she left," Shizune said as she sat at the desk and connected the drive. "There must be something on here she wants us to look into. It might be connected to what just happened."

Pulling up the file on screen, she opened the first file listed, aware of Kakashi watching over her shoulder. The two both sucked in sharp breaths as they read through the documents on the file, recognizing Shikamaru's work instantly.

"Naruto, Sasuke, go pull the following cases," Kakashi ordered before listing the cases referenced in the next file Shizune opened. "We have a lot of things to look into and I fear we won't have all the time we need."

After leaving headquarters, Sakura and Tsunade were instantly split up between two cars Tsunade riding with Danzō while Sakura found herself stuck between her two guards in the back seat of the SUV. The whole ride no one said a word and Sakura's suspicions started to grow that they were members of Root posing as military personnel. All of them gave off vibe that had her skin crawling and she was thankful when the drive finally came to an end.

"Where are we?" she asked, finally speaking when she realized she didn't recognize the building. The Konoha military base was located on the southern-most part of the city, directly opposite of the Hokage Mountain. From what she could tell, they had gone east, into the industrial part of town and not too far from where she had just spent the night with Crow.

She hadn't been able to spare him much thought that morning, but the silent car ride had given her more than enough time to think. When she had woken up that morning, he had already been up and mask back in place. They hadn't spoken much as she had gotten ready, but she was relieved that there hadn't been awkwardness between them. Rather the tension that had been building between them seemed to have finally eased up, leaving in its wake a kind of acceptance. Sakura refused to look further into it besides that as she had gathered her items up, but she couldn't stop her heart from jumping in her throat when a warm hand had snaked around her wrist and she looked up to meet the eyes behind the porcelain mask.

"I have something I need to do," he told her, his voice soft as he spoke. "Are you alright handling everything this morning?"

"Yeah. Let me handle Shishou this morning, she'll be in early. I should be able to talk with her before headquarters gets busy."

With a short nod, the two had gathered up their individual copies of the data and cleared out of the abandoned building. Sakura had the suspicion he would probably never return to the small space now that she knew of its location, because regardless of what had happened between them last night, their positions on either side of the law hadn't changed.

"Come on, stop dawdling," one of her guards finally snapped, pulling her from her thoughts and back to the present. Shooting the guard who had stayed to speak with Naruto a dark look, Sakura slid out of the car with a growing reluctance. The nondescript gray building, set back behind ten-foot high fences, was definitely not part of the military's holdings. Further back in the compound she saw two more buildings that looked like large garages, but could not see anyone walking around.

"Where is this, Danzō?" Tsunade was asking as she exited the car and moved to join Sakura. "Why did you bring us here?"

"This is a situation that I felt needed a subtle touch, to avoid calling attention to us," Danzō said and Sakura scowled.

_To avoid another situation like Uchiha Itachi's?_ She wanted to ask, but knew doing so would only reveal how much she knew and suspected.

"Unless you want me to inform the media about Haruno-san's activities?"

"I do hope you are not judging her prematurely," Tsunade said with a sharp smile. "It wouldn't do for you to overstep your position in Konoha by making hasty, uninformed decisions."

For the briefest amount of time a look of anger and hatred flashed in Danzō's eyes before he simply smiled at Tsunade.

"I am but a loyal servant to the Fire Nation," Danzō said before they entered the building. Here Sakura figured they would separate her and Tsunade again, but she was wrong as both of them were ushered down twisting hallways until they reached a room that appeared to be Danzō's office.

Glancing around the sparse space, Sakura found her gaze caught by the artwork hanging behind Danzō's desk. Simplistic, it was nothing more than three solid black lines that folded toward the center of the picture followed by two more broken black lines, giving the impression of a tree. She had seen that same logo last night on the reports Shikamaru had pulled and her own digging.

It was the design for Root.

sSSs

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**Disclaimer:** Not mine.


	8. The Lies

Naruto: Kakusei Heroism – The Hero Without A Name

**A/N:** Holy happy reviews! You people are awesome! TheOpenedWay gets special mention for giving me a review for every freaking chapter.

And now…CARD GAMES ON MOTORCYCLES!

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_Kakusei Heroism – The Hero Without A Name_

_Chapter 8: The Lies_

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Pulling her gaze away from the Root symbol before Danzō could notice her staring, Sakura looked at the ground as her hands curled into fists. Danzō taking them to the Root headquarters - the unknown mercenary side - was anything but good. Her early fears of no one being able to find them resurfaced as not even she or Crow had known where Danzō had hidden Root after months of searching. What chance existed for Kakashi and the others to find them?

"I apologize for the lack of seats," Danzō said as he took the seat behind the desk. Tsunade and Sakura were left standing in front of it, and neither of them missed that there were still two armed guards standing behind them blocking the only exit. "Now, Haruno-san, you've been very busy these past months, haven't you?"

Stiffening, Sakura met Danzō's cold gaze before looking over at Tsunade, unsure to answer or not.

"I take it you are referring to her teams high success rate in capturing the various criminal groups that have been plaguing Konoha?"

"Yes. You've had lots of luck since you captured Tokuwa last winter," Danzō murmured as he grabbed some papers on his desk. "I believe you recovered some additional help in the form of that criminal - Crow, I think the papers called him?"

"Crow is wanted as a vigilante by the force," Sakura reminded him. "Neither my teammates or I would work with someone like him."

"Yet somehow he knew exactly what targets to go after that the force could not due to legal restrictions."

Which had most likely been paid for by Danzō to keep the gangs and drugs running around Konoha, Sakura guessed, but remained silent.

"What are you getting at Danzō?" Tsunade asked impatiently.

"The coordination of Haruno-san's group and Crow clearly indicate she has been working with him, using him to bypass the law to bring in those criminals," Danzō stated. Before Sakura or Tsunade could argue the point, Danzō continued to speak. "Also, there is the issue of Tokuwa's untimely death. We believe he was killed because he was going to be sent back to Iwa for trial and that Crow was responsible with Haruno-san's help."

"What proof do you have?" Tsunade asked.

"We received the log of all personnel in the station the night of Tokuwa's death and Haruno-san was reported as having been then later than her normal time. We also know she was in your records room during that time."

"I don't see what that shows besides the fact that Sakura is a hard worker," Tsunade countered. "IA also looked at those logs and talked with the two officers who had manned Records. Neither said anything against Sakura."

Was it Shisui? Sakura thought, remembering her encounter with Sasuke's cousin. She couldn't see him working with Danzō, but it didn't mean he hadn't told IA during their investigation and Danzō reading about it.

"There is more evidence, of course," Danzō said, taking a piece of paper and holding it up. "This was sent to me. It was all the proof we needed."

Stepping up the desk, Tsunade snatched the piece of paper from Danzō and scanned over the document. When her mentor went pale before silently passing Sakura the paper, her fears were confirmed. The document was the key log from the cell room and while she saw her entrance from early in the morning with the Sound Gang, she wasn't expecting to see it show up again, some time after the last point Tokuwa was known to be alive.

"This is mistake," she said, shaking her head. "I left after I finished in the Records room. I can tell you five people who saw me leave that night!"

"Yet this report clearly shows you were supposedly back there that night," Danzō countered, threading his fingers together as he watched Sakura. "You could have gone in from a side entrance where there would be less people to notice you arrival. Or, if Crow had access to your badge, he could have entered the building and killed without anyone seeing him; we know he is skilled enough to pull it off."

"Where did you get this from?" Tsunade asked, taking the paper back from Sakura. "This should have been reported to me immediately, not to you."

"I honestly cannot say, but it must have been someone who felt it would be better in my hands than yours," Danzō said and Tsunade sucked in a sharp breath at the insult. Stalking up to Danzō's desk, Tsunade slapped her hands down as she leaned in closer to the smirking male.

"You are playing a dangerous game here, Danzō," Tsunade told him softly. "I'm only willing to give you so much more leeway before you reach the end of my patience."

"I am only reporting on the evidence placed before me."

"I refuse to consider this evidence until it has been filed through IA, as it should be. And the charges against her for selling information to other countries?" Tsunade asked, straightening

"As I mentioned before, proof was found that Haruno-san was investigating old cases outside her jurisdiction in the police force and that she had recently accessed the building schematics for key buildings in Konoha include town hall and the hospitals. We just learned that a cell from Ame planned to attack those buildings in an upcoming attack that would have crippled Konoha and that they had gained the information from someone from Konoha. Following the trail, we traced it back to Haruno-san and Crow."

"That's impossible!" Sakura blurted, stepping forward.

"The proof is all there in your computer, Haruno-san."

"Do you think I would be stupid enough – "

"Sakura, be quiet!" Tsunade snapped and Sakura bit off the rest of her words though she couldn't stop the growl of irritation that rose up. Danzō thought he could place fake information on her work computer? Any cop would know better than to sell information from their work computer! "How did you get _this_ information Danzō?"

"When I presented my case, the judges awarded the military permission to pull all records accessed from Haruno-san's computer."

"Why wasn't I notified? This should have been cleared with my permission," Tsunade barked, irritation turning to anger. "Especially in my station!"

"It is no secret you were once Haruno-san's guardian and mentor," Danzō explained with a cold smile. "I explained to the judges that you would be resistant to any charges brought against her and may be uncooperative in our investigation, so I was granted permission to do as I saw fit."

Was he also trying to remove Tsunade from power to gain control over the police force? Sakura wondered. Tsunade was the closest to him in power, if not more powerful politically, in the Fire Nation. If Danzō claimed Tsunade was assisting Sakura, he was slated to take over until her replacement could be selected and he would single handedly hold the most power. Not even the Daimyo, the head of the Fire Nation, would be able to oppose him.

"You are grossly over-stepping your boundaries," Tsunade told him softly. "And so have Homura and Koharu, by allowing you to create this farce. I'm putting a stop to it, _now_. Nothing you have presented today is based in fact, so I will stop this before it goes any further. When IA has finished their investigation, _I_ will be one making the decision on Tokuwa's case. I ask that at this time you turn your findings over to me to be looked into and we will be on our way."

For several minutes Danzō was silent in response to Tsunade's demand before he finally sighed, shaking his head slightly.

"I had hoped it wouldn't come to this, Tsunade-sama," Danzō said, standing. "However, your old pupil has put her nose in somewhere it does not belong and it seems she felt the need to drag you in as well."

Realizing Danzō had never had the intention of letting her go even with Tsunade present, Sakura tensed and started to reach for her gun only to remember it was gone. Turning at a noise behind her, she found the two guards had pulled their guns and had them aimed at her and Tsunade.

"I underestimated you and that man's drive to see me ruined," Danzō told Sakura, anger and annoyance finally breaking through his calm mask. "In truth I don't know how much you've learned, but I have no intention of letting you ruin my plans."

"You mean the plan to force the Fire Nation to war by bringing in gangs and terrorists to attack us or the fact that you built your own private army?" Sakura asked, figuring there was no point in staying silent any more. She and Tsunade were both unarmed and even if they had weapons they wouldn't be able to fight their way through the entire complex.

"It's a shame I didn't realize how smart you were before now. You may have been an excellent member of Root," Danzō said, reaching down to pull out his own gun from his desk. "Now, let's get this done with - cleaning up the murder and suicide of two of Konoha's police force members will be quite a job for me to step into."

sSSs

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**Ending A/N**: Dun dun duuunnnnn! Yes, sorry it's short and another cliffhanger, but at least I posted again quickly!

I've been watching Yu-Gi-Oh – The Abridged Series all week after not getting why my friend seemed to love it so much (considering I was the Yu-Gi-Oh fan), so I hope some of you got the reference.

Danzō: "Screw the rules, I'm fucking evil!"

**Disclaimer: **Belong to me, Naruto does not.


	9. The Final Confrontation

Naruto: Kakusei Heroism – The Hero Without A Name

**A/N:** Sorry, been sitting on this for a while, but now that I totally overslept today and am more sleeping for several hours, I am posting this up.

Please read and provide reviews. This is one of my more action heavy scenes in the story and I'm always looking for feedback towards how they can be improved.

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_Kakusei Heroism – The Hero Without A Name_

_Chapter 9: The Final Confrontation_

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"_It's a shame I didn't realize how smart you were before now. You may have been an excellent member of Root," Danzō said, reaching down to pull out his own gun from his desk. "Now, let's get this done with - cleaning up the murder and suicide of two of Konoha's police force members will be quite a job for me to step into."_

As he raised the gun, Sakura tensed and waited for moment when he would pull the trigger. Next to her Tsunade swore loudly in surprise and Sakura was turning towards her when a familiar figure in black suddenly appeared between them and Danzō. There was a flash of silver and with a startled swear Danzō dropped his gun, his hand bleeding from the kunai Crow had thrown. Even as Sakura started to react, two figures fell past her and she looked down to find the guards dead on the ground. Spinning around, she stared in shock at the second Crow standing the doorway with a bloody blade in his hand.

"You!" Danzō yelled in anger behind her and Sakura watched as the Crow in the doorway grabbed Tsunade and pulled her out of the office.

"Tsunade-sama!" she cried only to gasp as there was an explosion behind her, sending out a wave of smoke. Coughing, she felt an arm wrap around her waist and urge her forward through the smoke and away from the still cursing Danzō.

"Keep moving," the Crow next to her spoke and she felt only a split second of relief when she recognized his voice before concern for Tsunade resurfaced.

"Tsunade-sama – !"

"She's safe," Crow told her, turning them down a hallway. Sakura blanched when she saw the hallway littered with the body of Root members, though her thoughts were quickly pulled away from them as Crow passed her a gun. "Danzō will have an alarm going soon. We need to get clear of the compound before the rest of Root shows up."

"How many are there?"

"Fifty within the compound, at least," Crow told her and Sakura glanced at the gun that held only twelve shots. Before she could ask if he had a plan to get them out when they were so drastically outnumbered, there was a loud sound from outside as the building shook. "The explosions will only last for another five minutes, but should keep most of them busy trying to control the fires."

Nodding but not wasting time by asking more questions, Sakura followed him through the twisting hallways. They could hear movement all around them and yelling as more explosions went off, triggering the fire alarms, but only crossed paths with a handful that Crow quickly dispatched before they could alert others.

Entering a narrow stairwell, Sakura glanced up nervously at the stairs above them for signs of pursuers before following Crow down. At the doorway they paused and Sakura slowly opened the door to peer out only to slam it shut a second later as the people in the hallway opened fire on them.

"Damn it, the whole hallway is packed," she panted, wincing as the thick metal door took a beating. Thankfully the building was old and sturdy, so even the massive firepower couldn't reach them, though that could quickly change. "Any ideas what to do?"

Glancing up, Sakura watched as Crow pulled the pin on a grenade before pulling open the doorway and throwing it into the hall. As panicked yells came from the other side, Crow grabbed her arm and pulled her back up the stairs where they braced in the far corner just as the grenade went off. Swearing as the building shook all around them Sakura closed her eyes to protect them against the loose dust the explosion stirred.

In the hollow silence of the explosion, Sakura looked up at Crow only to widen her eyes as the door on the second story was thrown open above them. Bringing up her gun, she aimed over Crow's shoulder and fired at the three Root members entering the stairwell. Each took two bullets before collapsing, one sliding partway down the steps before stopping at an awkward angle.

Once she finished firing, Crow shifted as Sakura dropped her gun back to her side. Without speaking, she followed him back down the stairwell. Cautiously, they looked around the blown open doorway to take in the damage they had caused. Twenty feet from them the story above had partially collapsed and they could see the bodies of those caught in the explosion pinned under the debris. Those that had survived were badly injured or unconscious and before the dust settled, Crow and Sakura slipped into the hallway and went one of the exposed rooms that had a busted window.

In short order they were finally outside and Sakura found that they were no more than thirty feet from the nearest gate. Feeling Crow grab her hand Sakura let him lead her around the building, paying close attention the sounds inside to make sure they weren't ambushed again now that she was down half her bullets. Squinting as she suddenly found herself in shade, she glanced around to see he had pulled them into some kind of shed tucked inconspicuously against the main building.

"Is this the gardening shed?" she asked incredulously, noticing the rakes and other gardening equipment lining the walls. Shaking her head at the irony, Sakura turned to Crow to find him holding something out to her. "That is…?"

"The last of the evidence to finally bring Danzō down," Crow told her as Sakura took the compact camera from him with a frown. They had both known last night that the last, crucial, piece of their case against Danzō was proof of Root's physical existence. Shikamaru's information would only get them so far compared to pictures of the Root compound and their unsanctioned use of military weapons.

"Did you use me as bait, to draw him out?" Sakura asked softly, fisting her hand around the camera. Crow's unexpected appearance at the compound could not be a lucky coincidence, especially when she took in the appearance of his kagemusha and the forethought to capture the evidence they needed.

"It wouldn't be hard for you and Shisui to do, would it, _Itachi?_" she asked harshly when Crow remained silent, snapping her gaze up to glare at him. Reaching up, she saw Crow tense but he didn't stop her as she grabbed the porcelain mask and tore it away to meet the slate gray eyes of Uchiha Itachi. "Shisui would point IA in my direction and you would simply wait for Danzō to get his hand on the information and come after me. Then you could finally find Root, bring Danzō down, and get your revenge!"

Swearing at her own foolishness, Sakura tossed the mask back at Itachi who caught it but never took his gaze from her. His face was just as unreadable as the porcelain mask he hid behind and she sighed, closing her eyes. The night before suddenly seemed nothing more than a sick joke and she felt nauseous at the thought.

"Danzō's actions today were not predicted," Itachi finally spoke after several seconds of silence. Sakura cautiously glanced over to see him frowning, staring at the door rather than at her before slate eyes met hers. "I was not aware of what had happened at the station until Shisui contacted me and told me Danzō had come and taken you here. As it was, we barely made it in time."

Frowning as she thought over what he told her, she couldn't stop her heart from leaping in her chest when he spoke again.

"You said last night you trusted me."

She had, but so much had happened in the last twelve hours she wondered if it was still true. As if sensing her indecision, Itachi returned to the door to see what was happening outside as Sakura watched.

"I will take care of the guards at the gate. You need to return to headquarters as quickly as possible; you will find Tsunade-san there," he told her.

"What will you do?" she asked. Surely he didn't intend to stay here and keep fighting Danzō and Root!

"This is not the full force of Danzō's army. If he plans on resisting Tsunade-san, he will be mobilizing the rest of his forces that are in Konoha and those guarding the borders. The police and Special Forces will need to focus all their resources on controlling them, so I will take care of those left here," he explained, not looking at her.

One man against roughly 20-35 men was ridiculous, not matter how skilled Itachi was, Sakura knew. He was basically signing his death warrant by remaining.

"Come with me," she said softly, tightening her hand around the camera in her hand. She didn't know if she could bring herself to just leave him behind, even if she was still unsure of his actions.

"I can't. They will simply come after us if we both escape and it would be unlikely we would make it to the police before they caught up to us," Itachi told her and turned away from the door to meet her gaze again. "You know those pictures have to make it back, so I will keep them busy and provide you time you need."

"Yes, but…" Sakura started only to blink the tears that suddenly flooded her eyes. She couldn't bear the thought he would die by taking this suicide mission. Blinking when warm fingers wiped away the tears before they could fall, Sakura looked up to see Itachi smiling bitterly.

"I'm not someone worth crying over, Sakura," he told her softly as he traced the line of her jaw before dropping his hand. Before he could move away, Sakura wrapped her free hand in his shirt and pulled him down to kiss him, trying to put all her emotions and unspoken thoughts behind the action. When she finally pulled back, her eyes were clear and she took a deep breath before green met slate.

"Try to stay alive," she ordered and Itachi paused before finally nodding. Replacing his Crow mask, they exited and made their way to the gate. In short order the two men guarding the gate were relieved of their position and Sakura slipped through the gate with one last look at Crow before the metal doors shut and locked her out.

Knowing she didn't have any time to waste she started to move away from the compound, pulling out her cell phone when she a few blocks away. Thankful it hadn't been taken from her, she quickly dialed the number that went straight to Tsunade's office while hiding in the shadows of two buildings.

"It's Sakura. I need someone to come get me, quickly."

sSs

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**Ending A/N:** And ya'll will hate me…this is the final main chapter of the story. I have the epilogue under progress (to be finished shortly), but this is it. The point of the story isn't the police vs Root, which is all that is left, so this is it.

Again, please review! And thank you for all that have in the past. I will see you at the finish.

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto. Though awesome plot twist with "Tobi"; I applaud Kishimoto for some creative thinking there.


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